Does Your Dog Behave Like Cat?

When I was a little girl, I had an illustrated children's book entitled The Kitten Who Barked. It is a story of a very young Yorkshire puppy who was taken too early from his mother and was placed in a new home with seven cats. He was adopted by one female cat that had just lost her kittens and he grew up thinking he was a cat too.

Well, that story has been happening for countless generations for many centuries in homes where young puppies are raised with cats or by a mother cat. I know. It happened in my home too. Last June, I brought home a mixed dog puppy that I named General Bismarck or Biz for short. It was normal for him to miss his mother and siblings, and a great shock to find himself surrounded by five adult cats.

Biz grew up with Hagar (youngest cat) as his buddy, and he copied everything Hagar and the other cats did, like rubbing himself on walls, furniture and our legs. He sweated or made scratching gestures when he played with his playmates instead of biting like most dogs did. Biz also tried purring in a feline sort of way whenever he was contented or full. When I gave him baths, instead of shaking himself after, he licked the water off his coat as daintily as his adopted family.

When the cats leaped up on tables and counters, he followed them, although, he wasn't that agile and he often fell with a heavy thud. The only 'uncatlike' behavior he still retained was barking and this annoyed the rest of the cats. Having no other dogs around (all our neighbors nearby seemed to prefer cats and birds!), Biz never saw or heard how a real dog should behave.

Research and interviews with people who have the same pet arrangements in their home also came up with one logical answer: Young dogs raised with cats will display feline behavior, but their natural instinct to bark will still dominate. Biz has another eccentric behavior he picked up from his environment: he's a couch potato.

Most dogs love the outdoors, but Biz likes to lounge on our couch with us while we watch TV, scarffing chips and guzzling drinks which my teenage son shares with him. Never let your guard down on your soda or coffee, he'll finish it. You'd think the caffeine from these beverages would keep him awake, but he sleeps most of the time.

Pets can have their fetishes and strange cravings. If I wake up one night and see them having a party with their friends, I hope I won't be too surprised.